Here’s How Much It Will Cost You to Live to 100

Actor Kirk Douglas, of “Spartacus” and “Lust for Life” fame, just turned 102 years old. If you’re going to surpass the average American’s life expectancy of 78.6 years and live to be more than 100 like Douglas, you’ll need to prepare for it.

One rule of thumb is that you need about 80 percent of your income before retirement to maintain your lifestyle when you’re retired. If you make the average national wage of $48,251 when you retire, that means you need to bring in about $38,600 per year.

The Social Security Administration considers full retirement age to be 66, but the following calculations all assume you’re retiring at age 65 at the beginning of 2019 — which equates to 35 years of expenses until you reach 100. Going by the rough 80 percent income estimate, you’ll be spending $1.35 million total over 35 years in 2018 dollars.

Retirement Costs for Food

Budgeting for food for a 35-year period can be daunting, so it helps to work within a reasonable range of estimates. Men ages 71 and older spend between $169 and $341 per month on food, according to the latest food plan data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Women in the same age group spend slightly less, at $158 to $300 per month. On average, men and women ages 71 and older spend $2,869 per year on food.

Additionally, the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer expenditure survey estimated that food spending for the 65-and-older age group is $3,571.

Based on the average of the USDA and BLS monthly estimates — which is $3,220 per year and doesn’t include eating out — 35 years of food could cost you $112,700.

Retirement Costs for Healthcare

Healthcare is another expense you need to plan for in retirement. For starters, the standard Medicare premium in 2018 is $134 per month, according to Medicare.gov. However, your premium can vary based on your income and Social Security benefits. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services project that healthcare expenditures will increase by 5.5 percent each year, so expect your premium to go up.

Medicare only covers so much, so total annual healthcare spending — including insurance premiums and other related costs — is $5,994 for people over the age of 65, the BLS estimated.

Retirement Costs for Housing

In retirement, your housing expenses will depend on whether you live at home or in a facility. The BLS expenditure survey found that housing costs are $15,886 per year on average for people over 65.

Living in your own home can be fairly inexpensive, especially if you have paid off your mortgage, said Brad Hunter, former chief economist for HomeAdvisor, a home improvement resource website.

“The best strategy is to put in place home modifications to allow yourself to stay in your own home, living independently, for as long as possible,” Hunter said. This can entail preparing your home by adding things like ramps, grab bars, lever doorknobs, nonslip flooring, wider doorways and the like. See what other home renovations you should make before you retire.

Meanwhile, the national median costs for an assisted living facility are $4,000 per month, or $48,000 per year, and a private room in a nursing home can cost $8,365 per month, or $100,380 per year, according to the annual Genworth Financial Cost of Care Survey.

Retirement Costs for Incidental and Discretionary Spending

You don’t live on food, housing and healthcare alone. There are incidental expenses that add up, plus you should plan on spending your years in retirement doing the things you love — like traveling and seeing friends and family. But those things cost money.

The BLS found that you need to allow for $15,033 per year between transportation, entertainment and a variety of other costs, including buying clothes and eating out. This means that 35 years of incidental and discretionary spending will cost $526,155.

The Total Costs of Living to 100

Adding up the costs of all the expenses you’ll incur by living to 100, you can see that the 80 percent guideline is a good rule of thumb to follow.

35 years of food will cost $112,700

35 years of healthcare will cost $209,790

35 years of housing will cost $556,010

35 years of incidentals will cost $526,155

Spending 35 years in retirement has an estimated average cost of $1,404,655. The primary wild card is how much time you’ll need to spend in an assisted living facility.

Income in Retirement

You’ll have income during retirement thanks to Social Security and any savings you’ve accrued. According to the Social Security benefit calculator, someone earning the national average wage of $48,251 and retiring at age 65 in 2019 can expect to receive $1,336 a month in benefits. Over 35 years, not including cost-of-living adjustments, that’s $561,120.

You’ll need to provide $843,535 of your own savings and income to make up the difference. Hopefully, you’ve been contributing to a 401k or IRA all these years, which can fill in the gaps. You might also consider taking on a part-time job in the early years of your retirement if you’re able to.

“The combination of part-time work, Social Security and pensions make that number far less scary than it seems,” said Brian Stoffel, a columnist at The Motley Fool. “Plus, you have a lot more control over your spending than you think.”

Planning for Retirement

Jean Chatzky, a personal finance expert and co-author of “AgeProof: Living Longer Without Running Out of Money or Breaking a Hip,” said that many people are not saving enough to afford the cost of retirement. It’s important to try to save 15 percent of your income, she said, but that can be challenging.

“Human beings have shown we’re not good at delaying gratification,” Chatzky said. “We’d rather buy something today than stash funds in our retirement accounts for tomorrow. That’s why ‘set it and forget it’ strategies are so helpful. You automate transfers into your retirement accounts, college savings accounts, HSAs and the money just goes.”

If retirement is still far in the future for you, getting on an automated saving and investing plan can give you a major boost in retirement. For people who are much closer to retirement but falling short on funds, consider finding ways to boost your income now, pay off your debts, take advantage of increased retirement savings allowances and significantly cut your costs.

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